Former Prime Minister Jim Bolger is being farewelled in an official funeral.
The funeral for Bolger, who passed away last week at 90 years of age, is at the Our Lady of Kāpiti Parish in Paraparaumu. Livestream coverage is at the top of this article.
Several hundred people have gathered for Bolger’s funeral at the Paraparaumu church.
A strong contingent from the National Party is in attendance, including National leader and PM Christopher Luxon, Nicola Willis, Gerry Brownlee, Chris Bishop, Barbara Kuriger and Tim Costley. National president Sylvia Wood is also with them.
A number of former politicians are also in the audience, including former PM Jenny Shipley (who rolled Bolger in 1997), Chris Finlayson, Nathan Guy, Sir Bill English, John Tamihere and John Carter.
Members of other political parties in attendance include Labour leader Chris Hipkins, Labour MP Willie Jackson, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Act leader David Seymour, Act MP Parmjeet Parmar and Green MPs Julie-Anne Genter and Steve Abel.
Arriving just before the start of the funeral was Māori QueenNgawai hono i te po along with several Tainui leaders such as Rahui Papa and Tukoroirangi Morgan.
The speakers have featured Morgan, Luxon, Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, Sir Don McKinnon and members of Bolger’s family.
Kiro told mourners that Bolger’s passing marked the “end of an era” when a young farmer who left school at 15 could rise through the political ranks to become prime minister.
“New Zealand has lost a good man who led us with vision, courage, and decency through tumultuous times.”
She called Bolger a “man of the hour” for his work through the Treaty settlement process.
“He will be remembered by Māori as a man of great mana.”
Bolger, who had been undergoing dialysis since kidney failure last year, died on Wednesday last week surrounded by his nine children, 18 grandchildren and wife Joan.
In a House debate following Bolger’s death, Luxon made the first of many references to Bolger’s work settling Treaty of Waitangi grievances, citing his efforts with South Island iwi Ngāi Tahu in 1996.
“There were doubts within the National caucus, the cost was high, the politics uncertain, and it was an election year, but Jim had an instinctive grasp of New Zealanders’ innate sense of fairness.”
Luxon said he hadn’t known Bolger well, aside from a “few quiet phone calls” and a smattering of party events they both attended, but he stated the former PM had been generous in his advice when Luxon became Opposition leader.
Hipkins said he met Bolger much earlier in life as a sixth-form student at Hutt Valley Memorial College during an event celebrating an America’s Cup win, where a young Hipkins sought Bolger’s signature over those of the sailors. “There were warning signs even back then,” Hipkins said to laughs.
Hipkins described Bolger’s life as one “full of contradictions”, his views evolving over matters including workers’ rights, unions and even Winston Peters, who Bolger had sacked from Cabinet as a National MP before then making the New Zealand First leader his Deputy Prime Minister after the first MMP election in 1996.
Peters, recalling Bolger’s reputation as the “woolshed orator”, did not detail much of the turmoil the pair endured, except to acknowledge they were no strangers to disagreeing.
“[Bolger] happily took part in a healthy democratic discussion throughout his life, and, long out of politics, he later reminisced on the raging ideological disputes of his time as Prime Minister and had the reflective courage to admit that mistakes were made.
“It’s true to say that, 29 years ago, in 1996, we formed the first MMP Government. We – he – put differences aside, shook hands on that agreement, and, more importantly, he kept his word.”
Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.